Thoughts Twister

@BiondiSima is currently a double master's scholar in SciencesPo Paris and Peking University Beijing. He majors in International Economic Policy and Sustainable Development, taking Diplomacy and International Relations as his concentration. He hosts an online-based radio programme, inspirasisahabat.org, every Friday evening.

[beyondly]

Waiting on Life.

I am afraid most of us spend our time waiting. Waiting for school to finish, for a good job to come by, for a potential significant others to say hello first, for a big break, for people to recognize our talent and offer something. But what if, what if those imaginary opportunities never come by itself? What if they'll just exist passively somewhere and it's up to us to persevere, to come and get it. I believe the best approach in life shouldn't be spent on waiting. We should take actions. I have been an avid planner myself, but I come to learn that life never seems to go as planned. Good things that happened in my life weren't planned, they were the things I took actions towards. Some actively, some more like by accident, but they still happened because I decided to take action towards it, however small it was at the start. While plan is the quintessential first part, it really does not mean anything. Things only materialize when we take actions. So plan (only minimally), but more importantly live it, live your plan! Take actions! Take the small baby steps. Before we realize, we stand somewhere we didn't know we would.

[beyondly]

Double Degree and LPDP: Tips and How-to

Last night, I was invited by IYOIN Surabaya to address some folks about my recent experience studying in Paris and Beijing. I was surprised that over 400 students from universities across Indonesia signed up for the event and over 270ish eventually attended the chat. Apparently a mass-chat like this is a new means of sharing and to put instant messaging apps to a meaningful use. 

I decided to move the entire script in Bahasa Indonesia here on my tumblr for those who had not been able to make it last night.

*****

“Selamat malam semuanya.

Terima kasih, sdri moderator, Febri, dan pihak panitia dari IYOIN Surabaya yang telah mengundang saya untuk berbagi tentang kegiatan-kegiatan saya di luar negeri. Senang sekali teman-teman telah meluangkan waktu untuk menjadi bagian dalam online lecturing pertama ini. Semoga apa yang saya bagikan bisa berguna untuk teman-teman yang telah bergabung di group ini.

Seperti yang telah dipaparkan sebelumnya, saya baru saja menyelesaikan double master’s degree di SciencesPo Paris dan Peking University Beijing. Perkuliahan ini juga berhasil saya tempuh dengan dukungan finansial secara penuh oleh LPDP.

Dalam kesempatan ini saya akan memaparkan beberapa hal terkait perkuliahan double degree sebagai berikut: - Cara aplikasi magister double degree dan gambaran kegiatan perkuliahannya, - Tips lulus beasiswa LPDP, - Tips berhasil membagi waktu untuk kuliah - kegiatan berorganisasi dan pengembangan diri.

Saya akan mulai dari poin yang pertama: double degree SciencesPo - Peking University.

Dual Degree di Prancis dan Tiongkok

Bagi yang belum terlalu mengenal universitas2 di Prancis dan Tiongkok, SciencesPo dan Peking University adalah dua universitas terbaik di masing-masing negara (berdasarkan QS ranking) terutama untuk jurusan International Affairs, yang menjadi jurusan saya. SciencesPo sendiri berada pada ranking ke-4 di seluruh dunia.

Source: QS Ranking on Politics and International Affairs 2016: http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2016/politics#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=

Di website SciencesPo, dalam hal ini di fakultas Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) yang akrab juga dikenal sebagai Institut d'études politiques de Paris dalam bahasa aslinya, sudah dipaparkan dengan lengkap terkait program double degree: http://www.sciencespo.fr/admissions/en/content/graduate-dual-degrees. Mahasiswa akan menghabiskan waktu satu tahun di PSIA dan satu tahunnya lagi di universitas partner mereka. Ada banyak pilihan universitas partner yang tersedia, termasuk Columbia University di New York dan LSE di London. Saya sendiri tertarik untuk memilih Tiongkok dikarenakan beberapa alasan berikut.

Pertama, Tiongkok memiliki pengaruh dan power yang semakin kuat, baik di kawasan Asia Pasifik, maupun di dunia. Pengalaman tinggal dan dididik langung di institusi pendidikan terbaik di dua negara superpower di belahan Timur dan Barat dunia saya rasa akan menjadi nilai tawar sendiri untuk track record saya ke depannya, mengingat jurusan saya di bidang Hubungan Internasional. Kedua, Tiongkok dan Prancis merupakan representasi sistem pembangunan yang memadukan prinsip sosialis dan liberal di negara yang demokratis (small gov) dan terkontrol (big gov). Pemahaman keduanya akan memberikan pembanding yang baik dan seimbang untuk model pembangunan Indonesia ke depan. Terakhir, menetap di dua kota metropolitan di Timur dan Barat memberikan saya kesempatan untuk berinteraksi dengan masyarakat setempat dengan lebih intensif, mengenal perbedaan sistem birokrasi di kedua negara, dan belajar bahasa mereka. Bahasa Mandarin dan Bahasa Prancis adalah bahasa yang sangat penting di ranah Hubungan Internasional dan memiliki penutur yang terus bertumbuh secara kuantitas. Di program double degree, saya tetap belajar secara penuh menggunakan Bahasa Inggris sehingga saya tidak memiliki kendala bahasa (language barrier) untuk kegiatan akademis, namun tetap diwajibkan mengambil kelas belajar bahasa Prancis dan Mandarin sebanyak dua kali seminggu untuk mendukung interaksi mahasiswa dengan masyarakat.

Kembali pada topik mengajukan aplikasi double degree di SciencesPo, adapun dokumen-dokumen yang perlu disiapkan adalah sebagai berikut: • CV/Résumé • Transkrip nilai S1 dan program pertukaran (jika pernah mengikuti pertukaran akademik) • Surat rekomendasi (disarakankan dari pihak akademik dan profesional), Akademik yang dimaksud adalah profesor / pembimbing mahasiswa saat di S1. Profesional berasal dari atasan saat bekerja. • Nilai ToEFL iBT/IELTS (minimal Toefl 100-107, IELTS 7 tergantung program yang diminati) • Contoh tulisan / publikasi akademis (bisa berupa skripsi yang telah dialihbahasakan ke Bahasa Inggris atau publikasi ilmiah di jurnal. • Rencana Studi / Personal Statement

Pendaftar harus mengumpulkan berkas-berkas ini dan menggunggahnya di website universitas. Akan ada borang yang berisi beberapa pertanyaan terkait latar belakang personal maupun substantif dalam formulir yang perlu dilengkapi secara online. Formulir rekomendasi harus diisi sendiri oleh pihak pemberi rekomendasi melalui email yang dikirim langsung ke pihak universitas. Kedua universitas yang didaftarkan kemudian akan memeriksa keaslian dan kualitas aplikasi yang diberikan. Apabila kedua universitas meloloskan, baru setelah itu calon mahasiswa akan mendapatkan Letter of Acceptance. Seperti yang tertera di website, admisi di program Dual Degree umumnya lebih kompetitif. Di tahun saya hanya ada 10 mahasiswa yang berhasil lolos dan saya merupakan satu-satunya mahasiswa berkebangsaan Indonesia.

Secara garis besar, perkuliahan di SciencesPo dan Peking University terdiri atas kelas dengan ukuran beragam, dari yang hanya berisi 4 orang mahasiswa sampai ratusan orang. Tugas-tugas umumnya berupa daftar bacaan yang harus disiapkan sebelum masuk kelas, paper (baik yang bersifat kualitatif maupun kuantitatif menggunakan software STATA, presentasi, simulasi sidang, dan ujian tengah serta ujian final (sit-in exam)). Saya juga mendapatkan kesempatan magang di tahun pertama dan menulis thesis di tahun kedua yang kemudian akan diuji dalam thesis defense.

Secara umum, perkuliahan di Eropa jauh lebih ‘demanding’ dibandingkan di Asia. Standar penilaian juga cukup berbeda. Lebih mudah mendapatkan nilai tinggi di kampus-kampus di Asia dibandingkan di Eropa, dengan jumlah jam kelas dan tugas yang jauh lebih banyak di Eropa. Keseharian mahasiswa diluar jam kelas umumnya dihabiskan di perpustakaan untuk menyelesaikan tugas (baik individu maupun kelompok), membaca bahan kuliah, dan mempersiapkan presentasi. Selain itu banyak kuliah-kuliah tamu / konferensi yang diselenggarakan bersama tokoh2 penting. Beberapa tamu yang datang di tahun saya berkuliah di SciencesPo antara lain: Ban Ki-moon, Kofi Annan, Irina Bokova, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Thomas Piketty, dsb. Banyak tenaga pengajar permanennya yang juga menjadi praktisi dalam politik internasional, seperti mantan menteri atau direktur organisasi internasional.

Kegiatan non-akademis umumnya akan dihadiahi kredit kuliah (apabila aktifitas terkait ada di dalam daftar kegiatan resmi kampus): seperti saat ikut berlomba keluar negeri, aktif berorganisasi dan mengambil kelas-kelas seni dan olahraga. Banyak ragam aktifitas yang bisa dipilih, sehingga mahasiswa cenderung sangat produktif. Organisasi kemahasiswaan juga secara rutin menyelenggarakan program kebudayaan, study tour, peringatan Hari Besar Internasional dan piknik untuk tujuan refreshing. Untuk mahasiswa Indonesia sendiri juga dapat bergabung dengan Persatuan Pelajar Indonesia (PPI) agar terus terhubung dengan program-program yang diorganisir oleh sesama mahasiswa/i Indonesia.

Beralih ke topik kedua, bagaimana cara mendapatkan Beasiswa LPDP.

Seputar Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP)

Beasiswa LPDP dikelola oleh Kementerian Keuangan RI bekerjasama dengan dua kementerian lainnya. Tanggungan LPDP sangat komprehensif, mencakup tuition fee, biaya hidup bulanan (living allowance), biaya pindah (settlement allowance senilai dua kali living allowance), uang buku, asuransi, tiket pesawat dan visa, serta insentif publikasi, pembiayaan saat menjadi pembicara di konferensi luar dan dalam negeri, dana penelitian / penulisan thesis, dana wisuda, dan insentif masuk ke universitas 50 terbaik di dunia. LPDP juga memberikan skema lain diluar skema beasiswa regularnya, meliputi Beasiswa Afirmasi (3T), Beasiswa Thesis/Disertasi, Beasiswa Kedokteran Spesialis, dan Beasiswa Presidensial. LPDP lebih memilih untuk membiayai mahasiswa/i dengan konsentrasi studi yang dianggap strategis untuk Indonesia di universitas 200 terbaik di dunia (daftar diambil dari QS Ranking). LPDP juga memberikan beasiswa S2 dan S3 di dalam negeri (daftar universitas mengikuti daftar yang disediakan LPDP), serta menyediakan dana untuk pembangunan infrastruktur sekolah di daerah terpencil. Untuk informasi lebih lanjut, termasuk berkas-berkas yang perlu disiapkan, silahkan pelajari website LPDP secara langsung: http://www.lpdp.kemenkeu.go.id.

Seleksi LPDP diadakan 4 kali setahun, terdiri atas: seleksi berkas, wawancara, leaderless group discussion (LGD), serta essay writing on the spot. Setelah dinyatakan lolos, calon penerima beasiswa wajib mengikuti Persiapan Keberangkatan / Pelatihan Kepemimpinan (PK) selama kurang lebih satu minggu di satu wilayah yang ditentukan oleh LPDP dan wajib mengerjakan tugas-tugas Pra dan Pasca-PK. Tujuan dari PK adalah agar penerima beasiswa lebih memahami mekanisme teknis pembiayaan LPDP, mempersiapkan calon mahasiswa saat studi nanti, serta menumbuhkan rasa cinta tanah air.

Beberapa tips lolos seleksi LPDP: 1) Persiapkan seluruh berkas dengan baik. Jangan serba minta kelonggaran diluar dari persyaratan yang sudah ditetapkan (universitas tidak ada di dalam list, surat rekomendasi berbeda format, dsb) APABILA tidak memiliki alasan yang kuat (apalagi kalau belum memiliki LoA). 2) Lebih disarankan calon pendaftaran telah terlebih dahulu memiliki Letter of Acceptance dari universitas yang dituju dan TIDAK lagi mengganti universitas tujuan saat sudah dinyatakan diterima (penggantian diperbolehkan dengan beberapa persyaratan, namun secara umum tidak disarankan). 3) Pahami dengan baik alasan melanjutkan studi, mengapa memilih jurusan dan universitas/negara yang dituju, mengapa memilih belajar di luar negeri dan bukan di dalam negeri, dan sebagainya. 4) Pahami latar belakang diri sendiri (track record, keahlian, passion, dsb) dan perencanaan ke depannya. Mengapa saudara menganggap layak dibiayai oleh Negara? Apa yang dapat Anda kontribusikan ke Negara pasca studi Anda? Mengapa rencana studi Anda berguna untuk kepentingan Negara atau sektor strategis Negara di masa yang akan datang? 5) Apabila masih studi S1, persiapkan diri sedini mungkin terutama karena teman-teman masih memiliki waktu untuk menata studi teman2. Saya sarankan agar:    - a) menyeimbangkan prestasi akademis dan non-akademis,    - b) aktif berorganisasi dan berkontribusi untuk kegiatan kemasyarakatan. Saat berorganisasi, saya sendiri berprinsip untuk lebih banyak memberi daripada menerima, semakin banyak kita memberi (aktif berkontribusi) maka akan semakin berbahagia dan produktif. Tanpa kita pamrih sekalipun, saya percaya Tuhan akan membalaskan berlipat kali ganda,    - c) belajar bahasa asing (terutama bahasa inggris),    - d) banyak membaca dan mengikuti perkembangan dalam dan luar negeri dengan kesadaran penuh bahwa kita semua, anak-anak muda, bertanggung jawab untuk meneruskan estafet pembangunan negara di masa yang akan datang.

Terakhir, saya rasa penting untuk menggarisbawahi bahwa studi keluar negeri harus didasari niat yang baik untuk suatu saat dapat berkontribusi untuk Negara, dan bukan semata-mata untuk kepentingan diri sendiri (apalagi kalau hanya karena ingin keren-kerenan dan jalan2 keluar negeri gratis!). LPDP sendiri adalah dana abadi yang diinvestasikan dari pajak rakyat Indonesia. Alangkah baiknya dipergunakan dengan bijak dengan niatan yang lurus.

Penting juga bagi saya untuk menyatakan bahwa sejauh ini double degree tidak masuk ke dalam skema resmi yang diatur di dalam LPDP. Sepengetahuan saya, baru ada tiga orang penerima yang di-approve rencana studi double degreenya dengan persyaratan: telah menerima LoA double degree saat mendaftar, kedua universitas ada di dalam list LPDP, masing-masing studi ditempuh selama satu tahun--tidak lebih. Saya juga perlu menggarisbawahi bahwa penerima skema double degree sama sekali tidak menandakan keunggulan dibanding program lainnya. Banyak program master’s regular (satu atau dua tahun di negara yang sama) yang sama atau bahkan lebih baik dari skema double degree.

Bagaimana Membagi Waktu dengan Segudang Aktifitas?

Terakhir, saya ingin sedikit membagikan tips terkait manajemen waktu yang dulu juga pernah saya bagikan dalam Program #AwardeeStory LPDP. Saya rasa manajemen waktu yang efisien dengan pola pikir (mindset) yang benar dan tulus adalah kunci produktifitas dan kebahagiaan. Berikut pindaian kultwit yang kala itu saya bagikan:

(1) Hi, terima kasih untuk @LPDP_RI yg mempercayakan saya untuk membagikan inspirasi lewat #AwardeeStory minggu ini. (2) Lewat LPDP, sy mengambil Double Degree di @sciencespo Paris & @PekingUniv Beijing, Jurusan Inter'l Economic Policy & Sustainable Devt. (3) Tema #AwardeeStory yg akan saya bahas: “Tips Membagi Waktu antara Kuliah dan Berprestasi / Berorganisasi melalui Kegiatan Ekskul”. (4) Karena keg kampus sgt menyita waktu, bnyk yg akhirnya mengesampingkan pentingnya berprestasi&berorganisasi di kegiatan ekstrakurikuler. (5) Padahal ada banyak manfaat berekskul: networking, aplikasi ilmu secara langsung, mengasah competitiveness & soft skills, dsb. (6) Motivasi yg efektif memilih ekskul adalah selektif: (1) sesuai dgn passion & bakat, dan/atau (2) menunjang aplikasi akademik dari kelas. (7) Dgn demikian, keg ekskul ini tdk dianggap sbg hal yg menyita waktu, karena sdh menjadi hobi kita & menunjang pengetahuan saat di kelas. (8) Sy sendiri aktif berekskul Debat & MUN sedari S1 di Unhas hingga di Paris. Sy juga berorganisasi lwt @ppiparis dan @iYouthDiplomacy. (9) Berikut 4 tips praktis #TimeManagement dari berbagai sumber yg saya terapkan & berhasil! Tips ini jg dapat diterapkan dlm hal lain. (10) Tips1 #TimeManagement - Having the right mindset: time is finite, equally distributed to everyone, time is money, ada opportunity cost. (11) Tips2 #TimeManagement - Automate your routines and habits, eliminate trivial decision making, be quick but meticulous and efficient. (12) Tips3.a. #TimeManagement - Schedule your priorities, identify the actual productive hours you can have for a given day (<10hours/day). (13) Tips3.b.i #TimeManagement - Discern in group which is which: important vis à vis urgent activities. (see picture)

(14) Tips3.b.ii #TimeManagement - To produce quality works, make sure they're on Quadrant2: important BUT NOT urgent (see picture)

(15) Tips3.c. #TimeManagement: - Make margin (a save increment adjusted to distraction, such as techbreak for socmed). 16) Tips4 #TimeManagement: - Gunakan teknologi utk mengoptimalkan kinerja. Beberapa daftarnya di sini: http://michaelhyatt.com/favorite-apps-  @MichaelHyatt (17) Dengan #TimeManagement yg baik, kita dapat aktif di banyak kegiatan sesuai dengan prioritas kita tanpa mengorbankan yang lain. (18) Here's a quote: “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." ― Michael Altshuler #TimeManagement #AwardeeStory (19) Sekian Tips #TimeManagement lewat #AwardeeStory. Utk pertanyaan, silahkan hub lewat surel: biondi[dot]sima[at]sciencespo[dot]fr. (20) Mengutip @Pak_JK, penerima @LPDP_RI berhutang pd negara lwt prestasi. Alangkah baiknya kita saling mendukung & berbagi, bkan menjatuhkan. :)

Demikian sharing yang bisa saya sampaikan. Saya akan kembalikan ke moderator untuk sesi tanya jawab jika ada yang perlu dijelaskan lebih lanjut. Saya juga sangat terbuka untuk dihubungi lebih lanjut melalui akun sosial media saya: @biondisima (instagram, twitter), atau apabila ada yang ingin berdiskusi di forum lainnya tentang topik-topik yang berbeda. Adapun beberapa topik yang saya minati dan telah pelajari dengan intensif, antara lain: Kebijakan Ekonomi, Pembangunan Berkelanjutan (Sustainable Development), Lingkungan, Good Governance, Isu Kepemudaan, Hubungan Internasional, Stategi Komunikasi, Public Speaking, Debat dan Model United Nations.

Terima kasih. :)”

[beyondly]

It is not what you do once or twice that will transform you. It is what you do repetitively and religiously.

B

[beyondly]

Why I Decided to Become an Environmentalist and Why You Should, Too!

(Disclaimer: this will boil down to HiLo Green Leader 2016 spon. But that you are here already, go read ‘em line by line anyway).

During my years in Paris and Beijing, I indulge myself in the study of Sustainable Development, which is a composite of economic growth, social equity, environmental responsibility and good governance in development practice. My initial gut was that SD is going to be the next big thing. Being on the edge of hopeful (although somewhat slowing yet surviving) growth, Indonesia can benefit from the expertise of ensuring its economic growth does not yield more to unwanted social and environmental distress.

That was a very pragmatic consideration, I know. But the more I dive my nose into the subject, the more I am terrified. With the widening social inequality and apocalyptic environmental repercussion due to the seemingly inherent tragedy of the common when it comes to resources’ exploitation, it is very evident that the understanding of making development sustainable is not only a matter of grandiose knowledge, it is a matter of human survival. 

(See the lengthy explanation and scientific proof to how doomed the planet we are now, written eloquently by Prof. Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University. Granted, this will freak the chill out of you).

So, pragmatic choice, that is. But beyond that, I also find values in this study. Values and virtues that now turn into becoming my own personal take and identity. I can sense it in my nerve that whenever I give talks on environment and social issue, I speak from my resolve.

So that’s how I turned into becoming an environmentalist by heart. I might not be the kind of person whom you’ll find digging holes and planting seeds. I might not be the person whom you’ll find swimming in the sea of waste disposal site to turn it into electricity mega-might (although I actually did a project on this with JICA when I was in my undergrad). I might not be on the street shouting to people to drop whatever it is on their hands and go hug some trees. No, I was not planning on doing any of those. I will still be the unsuspecting guy sitting behind a desk minding his own business. But most importantly, with full-fledged conscience I will do everything within my reach to dig deeper in my study—because that’s the reason why I am here and that’s what my country pays me for to begin with—to advocate for this in every given occasion; and most importantly, to practice what I preach.

My point is, everybody can be an environmentalist. You don’t need to go to Gryffindor for this. You don’t need to be a reborn Arnold Schwarzenegger 2.0 to have the influence to save the planet. Every unsuspecting guy sitting behind his/her desk can be an environmentalist, and I think, given the alarming situation, everybody needs to. Everybody has to!

If you can invent something green, great! But if you don’t, it does not make you be outside the desired circle. In both democratic and non-democratic regime, for both politics and business, collective individual preference would always be a strong, non-confinable game-changer. I understand that beyond individual lifestyle, there are factories who carelessly pollute, farmers who set forests on fire, and government who do not give a single fudge about it. But in the very tip of the command chain, people’s perception and power matter. That’s why individual lifestyle matters and that’s why education and advocacy about this lifestyle matter even more.

On HiLo Green Leader:

Among the practical celebratory mark of my putting together and naming myself an environmentalist, I decided to join HiLo Green Leader (HGL) 2015. This is a nationwide search for environmentalist figures who are committed to dedicating themselves to an environmental cause. Audition for this year’s HGL is already open for submission as I write this and will remain so until April 17 (the audition will start rolling by mid-March so don’t wait until the last minute to apply). If you are age 19-35 and have a strong passion and practical exposure to environment-related projects, I would strongly encourage you to apply!

(Insider tips on HGL: this has never been a competition. It is a loving family and hailed network you are about to be part of. It is an opportunity to learn and discover about yourself and what you can further do for your planet. It is calling for you. Now, it is up to you to return that call! Apply here.)

[beyondly]

The Power of Habit and The Beginning of Bouncing Back to Reading Physical Books

I used to name myself an avid reader. My nose is always buried under a thick cover for as long as I can remember. For about a few years back—as life is getting more intense—I start to realize that books on my shelves have been replaced by articles, online scripts and pieces of journal. I am not saying that the latter do not classify as reading or a bad form of it. It is just that something is lost in the process when you don’t stick yourself to a physical form of this knowledge pandora, called books. One of the many reasons: articles and their likes are written with simplicity in mind to attract more dashing readers with very short attention span. As a result, a huge portion of details went amiss, perhaps helplessly intentionally.

Early this year I decide to challenge myself to finish at least one book, a physical book and not an e-book, in each month. Reading—and finishing—a book gives a sense of accomplishment and with this self-imposed deadline, it gives the urgency and a sense of discipline to read more. This month, I read “The Power of Habit, Why We Do What We Do in Daily Life and Business” by Charles Duhigg.

What’s in this book: The Habit put into display a wide array of personal stories with light scientific reasonings on how habits occur and the techniques to de-hack the bad ones and replace it with the habits we want. The stories do not only cover personal habits, such as losing weight, quitting cigarettes, or ending procrastination. It also introduces habits in the context of social movement, community and business. This piece had also inspired me to write down this other piece on habits.

To oversimplify, The Habit breaks down three major components of habit: a cue, routine, and reward. To deactivate a bad habit, one needs to identify through a reverse-engineering process the routines and the kind of reward his/her body craves before identifying the triggering cues. Through a repetitive process, it enables our body to process information and churn it out in semi-mechanical litany which makes human habits very powerful drivers to the success (or otherwise) of a person.

The writer, Charles Duhigg, is an uber inspirational person himself. He graduated from Yale University and Harvard Business School, a Pulitzer Prize, and a seasoned journalist. The Habit has been translated into forty languages and is on the New York Times Best-seller list for over sixty weeks. With the new year’s nuance still on the shade, I came to think The Habit as more than a perfect choice to reinvent life and experiment with it. I strongly recommend my peers, if they have not already, to read this book from front to end.

[beyondly]

Ambition versus Faith: to Pursue or Not to Pursue Dreams?

As a person who grow up in a family with strong religious attachment, I often find myself in an intersection.

Should I focus on planning my life and diligently endeavour to walk, if not run, towards it? Or, should I sit back and relax? Knowing that what is meant to be, will be. Because God has everything set for us. Because, the bible says: that it is God’s mercy who provides the blessing, not our personal grit. So we think, “oh yeah, there will be a time where the red carpet is rolled in front of us as we march forward with a strong sense of gravitas to that huge, sparkling podium. There would be time. All I need is to be patient, maybe pray more, and, of course, do work while the time is making its way here”.

Isn’t it confusing? It is for me. We work hard, we have dreams and visions. But what if? What if this is against God’s direction? What if all this effort will come to waste? And if everything is already pre-written and prepared in advance, what’s the point of working so hard then?

Tonight the answer kinda struck my head. I am not sure if this is a definite answer to such questions, and I am not sure if there is such an answer to this kind of mystery. But I am writing this to just clear my thought and put some structure to it.

What I come to think as problematic with human’s plan is that it is, by and large, self-centered. Think about it, if we tap into our most ambitious dream, it seems like we take it for granted, that we want the world to revolve around us. We want to be at the top of the food-chain. And we want more than one chains. We want them all: a rock star whose day job as a president who also manage a multibillion company (or companies) who can also cook a la Chef’s Ramsey’s deliberate dessert and is able to … and … and …(put your delusional daydreaming here).

And when we see our peer announces to climb a bit of that ladder we are attached to, we become envious. We think we are actually better than them. That we should have been the one who get the promotion, or the one to be crowned Miss Universe (i blame it on watching too much of hilarious Steve’s feud). We think if we would have worked harder enough or be put in a better timing and all, “it could have been me”. So, there, we are put in a situation where we think hard work is the key to everything.

But what if I tell you, the same thing every drama b!tch tells her minions: “this world does not revolve around you”. And it is rightly so. If things revolve around individuals, imagine how chaotic this world will be (or has been). And I guess, it is exactly what makes this world is so chaotic and so full of drama: the self-centered delusion to strangle for power, fame, or (and) wealth.

It does not matter to have big dreams. I think we all should (in fact, I recall the bible says that we need to have that faith on our brightly promising future). But to which epicentral does these dreams are built upon--and pointing towards--matter more. If it is built on self-centeredness, you can screw yourself now, because I am pretty sure life is going to be bitter and dismal. But if it is built on a bigger vision, we would start to realize that hard work and faith do not contradict. A vision like: that we are an indispensable part of an ecosystem in which we have to function and deliver that part in its best of the limitless potential. This enables us to perceive that every individual matters. We would then have better self-appreciation to ourself and work hard to maximize what we can offer to this world, but without having to fight our way against others, because others’ contribution and uniqueness matter as much to the given ecosystem. When our friends succeed, it will not make us feel threatened. Rather, it makes us motivated and genuinely celebrate for them as the ecosystem is now served better. It is a balance of having confidence and the industry to invest in ourself without deprecating others. It gives a sense of worry-free self-security that yield to more respect to ourself and to others. I also believe a vision that is built on serving (God and) others is in the best interest of and is consistent with our divine purpose. It can not go wrong.

So there I said it, I am just letting these words out to play my part in this bigger-than-self ecosystem while practicing my writing skill. I am investing in myself while possibly serving others with the same issue. What I really want to say, however, is that being faithful and being hard-working are never mutually exclusive.

[beyondly]

2 Ways to Better Control Your Physical Performance

What is funny about our bodily organ, it is only a response system to what we throw in. If we keep eating empty calories, our waistline expands. If we regularly do cardio, our breathing and energy reservation improve. If we constantly undermine our sleep patterns, our daytime motivation flunks. If we read more, we become more knowledgable. It seems to me, we have more control over our own temple than we think we do.

Sounds simple? Maybe not. Two reasons. Firstly, as we have limited 24 hours a day, we are constantly confronted to choose which of these inputs we want to provide ourself with. Suffice to conclude, there is always a trade-off between, say, study-and-be-more-intelligent to exercise-and-be-physically-built. Not to mention all the nitty gritty of repetitive, low-impact domestic chores we need to take care everyday.

Secondly, genetics also come into play. A plate of apple pie might be vaporized into heat within minutes by the speedy metabolism of the skinny ectomorph, while for the bubbly endomorph, it goes straight into another layer of belly fat. A 2-hour piano session might make a kid with talent be able to reproduce a legendary symphony, while leaving the rest struggling to locate minor keys.

Both of the aforementioned factors, however, do not suggest that we should just live with the flow, unable to control any of our physical performance. Firstly, confronted with the opportunity cost of timing against myriads options of activities, our job is to keep things balanced with effective time management and self-control. 

Secondly, our genetic makeup is not to say that we need to give it all up to our inherited genes. It only informs which direction we can pursue more effortlessly and how much energy we need to lever to compensate to the other balance. After all, hard work trumps talent if talent does not work hard.

[beyondly]

3 Ammunitions as We Freshly Embark to That Same Battlefield of Mind (personal-year-in-review).

I have been avoiding writing down a year-in-review post. I can sense a post like this is more-often-than-not end up being a curation of humble-brag. 

2015, however, had been a blast for me! Let’s be honest, I sometimes stalk other people’s life (who doesn’t?) to learn from their accomplishments and nasty, nasty behavioral mishap, now that I wonder if my life story can also be beneficial to a tiny fraction of my circle.

I identified there are at least 10 milestones I achieved throughout the year, but instead of displaying them in an awkward sequence, I reorganize the way I look at them as the trinity of food-for-thought as I embark onto the new year.

New year, notwithstanding, we are still the same people with those same dreams and same persistent struggles in our battlefield of mind. Garnered from my reflection back in 2015, here are the three ammunitions that can hopefully help us be better-equipped in 2016.

1. Crazily hone your skill and stay on track

If there is one skill I can be sure that I am naturally bestowed with is public speaking. As an introvert I don’t see the necessity of speaking too much in daily interaction, but when it comes to blasting it on stage, I always have something to say (or so I think).

In 2015, I had the opportunity to bring it up a notch. I took public speaking course; train with French and Argentinian top diplomats on negotiation techniques; and finally represented my school, the all-glorious PSIA SciencesPo, to a model united nations in New York where I and my colleague won Position Paper and Honorable Mention Delegation Award.

My passion in international affairs also brought me to represent Indonesia in Y20 Summit in Istanbul; did two-month internship in UNESCO Headquarters with Permanent Delegation of Sri Lanka to UNESCO; and appointed chair to PIMUN, also in UNESCO chamber.

Even when I have been doing public speaking drills and tourneys since high school, there is always something new to learn, and another level to unlock (and there are still moments where I screw it big time). Identify which of these skills belong to you, judging from your past exposure and experience, and continue honing them crazily.

2. Not afraid to be exposed to something new

I think life is also a journey to self-discovery. As we set afoot to a new journey, we pick up new information about ourself. We would never know that we may be good at one thing if we never try.

In 2015, I started hosting a radio show #InspirasiSahabat with radioppidunia.org; spoke on youth issues in several events in Paris; did a quick media roadshow in several stations in Palu and Makassar about Indonesian Youth Diplomacy; and awarded Best Eco-presenter in HiLo Green Leader 2015.

All the hullabaloo is quite foreign to me, but I ended up liking them and, more importantly, I discover more about what I can do. It introduces and opens up a whole new layer of industry which I might consider taking a closer check later in life.

3. Approach your situation with positive attitude

We might think everything about ourself is super random, but it is not. From willpower and constant flow of motivation to our appearance, a large portion of it is formed by choice and habit. They, by and large, are under our control. And if there is anything I can learn from living outside of my comfort zone for 7 years now is that all this process of changing and adjusting start within our state of mind.

In 2015, I moved from Paris to Beijing. There was nothing I like about being in Beijing at first. The extremely cold weather, food spices so strong they bite back, filthy restrooms, and don’t get me started with the air pollution. I realized though I am in no control to change any of these. So rather than complaining about things I can not change, I figured to just change my state of mind by making peace with reality and approach all the sudden flip with positive attitude. Sooner than expected, Beijing started to show its beautiful side. Or that now with clearer mind, it enabled me to see what have been there all along.

[beyondly]

“Someone’s weaknesses might be directly linked to their strengths. Those with creative brilliance might be inseparable with logistical unreliability, people who are fantastic leaders at work might be seriously difficult around domestic chores. 

In times of crisis, we tend to only see the flaws. We wonder, “how do I end up in this relationship or hanging out with this person?”, we fail to step back and ask a vital question, what are the strengths where these annoying traits are the unfortunate shadow in sight?

Forgiveness is keeping someone’s strength in view when all his/her weaknesses are too painfully apparent.”

[beyondly]

Do not overanalyze people. Each has varying standard of what is considered good and act accordingly. Even the seemingly evil one portray him/herself as angel in their own state of mind. Always, therefore, seek to understand, not to judge.

MN

[beyondly]

There is joy in giving. Especially when you have experienced suffering yourself.

MN

[beyondly]

You don't chase after stuffs, you'll be tired. Attract them instead.

MN

[beyondly]

You are 32 years away from being an expert!

Ever heard of 10,000 hours-of-practice-and-no-talent golden rule? Apparently this has some empirical grounds, found by Malcolm Gladwell (2008). It essentially says: mastery is attainable, regardless of talent, by practicing at least 10,000 hours of that particular skill. By mastery, it means being widely, almost-indisputably acclaimed for that skill, not just being occasionally (worse, incidentally) good-enough.

So suppose this is true. And if you decide to train on something you have NEVER touched your whole life before and decide to invest 2 hours of practice for 3 times in a week; how long will it take you to become an expert on that thing?

So here is the simple, elementary-school-based math: 10,000 hrs / 2 hoursperday = 5,000 days / 156 days (assuming you will take 3 days a week: 52 weeks-a-year x 3 = 156) = 32 years.

Voilà, adding to your age, suppose you are at least 20 years old right now: 32 + 20 =  52 years old!  See, that'll be as old as you can get before becoming a master of anything at all.

Disclaimer: - Increase the practice time by 1 hour per session will shorten the process by 11 years. - Starting early in life definitely matters to get ahead in the game. If I were you, I would definitely send my kids to all kinds of trainings there are: swimming, piano, math, foreign languages, toastmaster, folding papers, whatever it is that can count as skill. :p  - This is to assume that during the allotted time, we don't skip any of them and fully focus on the matter at hand by seconds. Because, really though, who does not skip stuffs? 

In conclusion, good things take time. A lot of it. If you are not good at anything at this moment, START practicing something already! Life expectancy ranges around 60-80 years old depending on where you live (71 years old worldwide, according to the UNFPA, 2009). Should you die earlier than that, oh well, at least you can die in peace knowing that you tried.

If you don't start, félicitations! You'll die mediocre the way you are right now. I bet that's what you want.

[beyondly]

A 5-minute closing remark from a 20-minute presentation on Indonesian Media System delivered in School of International Study of Peking University, Beijing.

Feedback is welcome.

[beyondly]

Relative Peace and What’s Not

If you're a number/chart/data freak, this is a beautifully done video on the headcount of civilians & combatants fallen victim to wars across centuries focusing on WW II: http://www.fallen.io/ww2/#

The realtime ending though, unbelievably sophisticated!

"We give such an importance to the world peace, but we tend not to notice it when it occurs, or report on it. Sometimes it takes reminding ourselves of how terrible World War I was to see the peace that is growing around us. Of course this trend may not continue. And it is not clear how looking at this chart can help us make the right decision to ensure that it does. But the longer the long of peace grows, the more significant it becomes. So if watching the news does not make us feel hopeful about where things are heading. Watching the numbers, might." :')

[beyondly]

Incredibly moving! This video, a piece of Years of Living Dangerously by Harisson Ford, was made last year, but is still a strong visual to know what is happening behind all this forest-fires drama. It is too bad, despite the hope-flickering ending, it has to happen again this year, resulting in carbon emission worse than the record-high 2006 level.

Every stakeholder has its part to play: #1) Businesses, from land owners, distributors, to end-producers; #2) Government, from top to bottom officials, in licensing and law enforcing, #3) NGOs as strong watchdogs and catalysts for policy-change advocacy, and finally, #4) All of us, the end-consumers! If we would want to make it clear that we study about the roots of the products we are using everyday, whether they have been strongly committed to green production process and shift our consumption pattern accordingly, our collective market force would help drive the business away from this greedy, unsustainable exploitation putting mother nature at stake.

It is no longer relevant to speak for the imaginary future generations. The disastrous impact is already here with us, in the present.

[beyondly]

There are moments in life when you reflect far away back to your childhood time and find the revelation that can explain why you behave the way you behave today. It's a proof that we don't really know ourself; and that part of growing up is to continue to recognise who we really are and to reshape it into who we really want to become.

- MN